


With Only the Stars to Cradle Us

by Lone Innocence Zevalhua (MortalSkyGarden)



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Coming of Age, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-03-26 10:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13856250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MortalSkyGarden/pseuds/Lone%20Innocence%20Zevalhua
Summary: Ponies have their own reasons why they wanted to join the Royal Guard.Some wanted fame, others wanted to uphold family tradition, and then there are those who just wanted to help protect Equestria and its inhabitants.For Tender Heart however, it was a surefire way to keep himself fed with a roof over his head. So without hesitation, he enlisted as a cadet so that he can one day climb up the ranks and be a guard with a steady living wage.But now that the first semester of training is complete and the mandatory 3-month leave for all first year cadets is just around the corner, Tender Heart sends in a request to stay in the castle in return for his labor.Fortunately, or unfortunately for him, fate has other plans for him.With only a kind heart to his name, will it ever be enough?





	1. Chapter 1

_And the world was opened for me_

_The sky was no longer a strange, faraway blue_

_The forest was no longer a tempting lush green_

_and the smiles of the people were no longer imaginary_

_For the first time in my life, I finally felt free_

**\- The Last Shrinemaiden, Act 1, Wordsmith**

A number of cadets, and even a few officers of the Royal Guard, believe that being put on scrubbing duty is a humiliating task.

After all, the reason why a pony enlisted as a cadet is because he wants to learn how to fight, to protect... And maybe climb up the ranks and become captain of the guard like Captain Shining Armor, or is it Prince Shining Armor now that he's married to Princess Cadence?

King Shining Armor?

Not really sure.

But as I was saying, cadets like me have the expectation that once we enlist, we would be forced through nonstop grueling training with lots of shouting, running, magic, and whatever heroic things we had fantasized that a royal guard cadet would have to go through so that they can earn the privilege of becoming an official member of the E.U.P.

For the most part, yes, we do go through a lot of training and drills but...

Most of the time, we're placed on cleaning duty ranging from mopping the floor or polishing or cleaning the armor of an officer that we fancy to grab an apprenticeship under.

The last one was if you were really, REALLY lucky though. Chances are, the officers would get tired of your flank-kissing and send you off embarrassed and with a potential mentor out of your list.

Thankfully, I have never experienced that sort of embarrassment.

...

Okay, fine! YET.

I have YET to experience that sort of embarrassment.

But I still plan on keeping my embarrassment streak at zero.

Suffice to say, while my fellow cadets were trying their best to find a mentor, I am dead set on keeping to the 'regular' training regime and earn my rank even if it means staying in the castle all my life guarding some corridor or room that no one has entered for like... A bajillion years.

It may sound boring, but if doing that meant eating three meals a day, a clean and warm bed to sleep in, and a steady wage, then I'll take it.

Considering my options, which consists of... Uh... Being somepony that doesn't have ANY of those, and maybe worse, I think it's a good deal.

So here I am, cleaning the barracks as the other cadets leave one by one for the 3-month semestral break now that our first bout of training had already finished, hoping that my request to stay here for the duration of the break to work as a custodian, or helper... Janitor maybe? Gets approved.

I'm not really that picky.

The immediate assumption from others was that this was just my way of showing that I'm 'dedicated to show that I'm willing to grab my full potential by staying and learning what it means to be part of the Royal Guard during my free time' so that I can catch the eye of a knight and land an apprenticeship.

In a sense, yeah, that's part of my reason why I sent in that request to my supervising officer.

But the truth is, I just really don't have anywhere else to go-

"Hey, Tender Heart, you okay, dude?" asked Bottleneck, a blue-and-greencoated unicorn, staring at me with a confused expression as I kept on mopping the floor with both of my hooves.

From the looks of it, he was just about ready to leave as well with how jampacked his satchel was with his personal effects.

"Yeah," I replied before putting the mop on the half-filled bucket of soapy water "Why'd you ask?"

"It's just... Um..." he cringed, looking at me then at the mop.

Turning my head towards the object as well, I tried to see what was wrong with it.

"Never mind, General Armstrong asked me to tell you that he wants to see you in his office though-"

Rude as it may be, I didn't bother waiting for Bottleneck to finish his sentence and dashed out of there to get to the general.

Usually, running through the halls was forbidden, especially if you were just a mere cadet and didn't have anything important to say or do to permit it.

But with all rules temporarily suspended to account for the influx of parents picking up their kids who might crack for the first time after being put through a lot of stress and strict routines for more than half a year, I think I'm in a position to disregard everything that the instructors hammered into my mind just for today.

So despite the disappointed stares that I got from senior cadets and other guards who were scattered all over the corridors doing their respective tasks, I continued through the halls and up the stairs to the third floor, excited and partially scared of what was the general's decision on my job request.

What was that proverb again?

'You don't want pain to last, so whatever you do, do it quick, like ripping off a band-aid.'

Screeching to a halt right in front of the general's office, I smoothened out my uniform as best as I could and wiped off the sweat off my forehead while drawing in a lot of breaths from all the running that I did.

Once I was no longer panting, I steadied my nerves and approached the door, knocking three times on the wooden door of the office at the acceptable force that the cadets were trained to do since day one.

"Enter," said a deep voice from inside the office.

At the confirmation, I opened the door and go inside before closing it gently behind me and giving the general a salute.

"Cadet Tender Heart reporting for duty, sir!" I exclaimed.

"At ease," replied the general who was seated on his upholstered chair behind a large table that was filled with piles upon piles of documents, most of which didn't seem to be even done in the slightest.

Relaxing, I ended my salute and waited for what he had to say.

"So, I took a quick look at your request. Very prompt and to the point if I may say so, something that I wish the logistics department would do..." the brown-colored earth pony began saying as he leaned back on his seat.

"And, well, since it's not every day that someone is asking to help in the kitchen or any other cleaning-related duties in the guard, I guess providing you with food and lodging in return for your hard work is the least that we can do for you." explained the general, causing me to smile and sigh in relief.

Awesome, now I don't have to worry about having to sleep out in the cold or-

"If er... Someone else doesn't want you."

Wait, what?

"I... Don't think I get what you mean, sir...?" I inquired, confused as to who this 'someone else' is.

Sighing, General Armstrong leaned forward and gestured for me to sit on the chair in front of him, an offer I immediately accepted.

"It's a bit complicated," he muttered.

Now, praise was something that I've gotten slightly used to ever since I began my training. But when a general of all people was the one giving ME praise, it's a bit hard to believe.

"The reason why I'm not sending you to the helpers right is because I... Hrm... There's this former cadet of mine in Hooverheim. Very bright, somewhat cynical, but still bright." General Armstrong said.

As he continued, I learned that during the Changeling Siege of Canterlot, this former cadet of the general he was one of the first responders even though he had already resigned from his post as lieutenant many months before the incident to pursue his own interests.

"He saved a lot of lives and allowed us to keep the casualties to a minimum until Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were able to drive out those... bugs completely. Unfortunately, he was heavily injured during the struggle and was bedridden for half a year. He recovered, but..." the general suddenly stopped, holding his breath as if trying find the right word to say or describe what needed to be said without sugarcoating the truth.

"But?" I asked.

"... He will never be the same pony he once was prior to the attack, and I think he blames us for it," sighed the earth pony, leaning back against his seat in a slump. "He's turned down all of our offers for aid and benefits, limits communication, and chose not to attend his own awarding ceremony."

"That's why I need your help. I want you to go to Hooverheim with my recommendation and ask for him to accept you as his apprentice so that you can monitor his condition and report to me immediately if something alarming occurs."

Okay, this is getting way out of hoof.

"Now hold on," I said, interrupting the general without asking permission to speak.

"First of all, I'm just a cadet, and I've barely even gone through the basics, and you want ME of all ponies out there, to go and provide aid to this ultra important hero of yours that I DON'T EVEN KNOW OF when there are others out there that are obviously more qualified when healing and emotional support is concerned."

"See what's wrong with that? I am all for breaking my limits but this is just too risky." I added, cringing inwardly upon realizing how much of an overreaction that was on my part.

To make things worse, the general himself stayed silent for a few seconds with his eyes trained on me.

Aw poop, looks like I'll be having a prolonged date with the sidewalk then.

"You see, I've been tracking your progress ever since you arrived, Tender Heart, and although most of your skills are average at best for a first-year cadet, you exhibit high empathy, and I think that's what he needs the most, someone who can show genuine concern for him so that he can willingly reach out to us if he is still in pain and perhaps even find a new purpose," answered General Armstrong.

Empathy? Really? That's a noteworthy skill?

But that can't be right, it doesn't matter if you mean good if you're not capable of doing it in the first place.

"You show concern almost immediately when something bad happens, and most of all, you act accordingly even if it means setting back your results during time-based tasks just so that you can assist others. I don't think you enrolled to be a cadet for fame and fortune, Tender Heart. I think you really just want to help," the General continued.

"All those healers and people that I've sent? They were the best at what they do, but I had to pull every string I had just to convince them to go and be 'mere aides' for a broken pony. That lack of empathy and sincerity on their side, even if help was offered, is something that somepony who lost his future doesn't need," he added.

I stayed silent in my seat for a moment, trying to digest everything that General Armstrong said.

"But what if he rejects it?" I asked, managing to find the very reason why I was so reluctant to this task. In order for this to work, this pony will have to accept me as an apprentice first, if not, then I have no choice but to return empty-handed and possibly disappointing the general who might think that I didn't try hard enough.

"Well, you can always return and work here like what you originally wanted," chuckled the earth pony, "The offer to work here as a custodian will still stand even if you fail to reach an accord so you don't have anything to lose other than a possible apprenticeship."

Sighing and rubbing the side of my head now that it was apparent that I have no legitimate excuse to turn this down, I finally gave a nod to the general.

"Alright, general, I'll do everything I can." I affirmed.

Smiling and giving a sigh of relief of his own, the general reached for a drawer and pulled out an envelope that had a red wax seal on it bearing the insignia of the Royal Guard before sliding it to me.

"This contains your letter of introduction, show it to him and he'll know what to do. Pack up your bags and meet me at the courtyard in an hour, I'll be heading to the treasury to request your initial stipend," he explained, drawing his hoof back afterwards.

Picking up the envelope, I blinked a few times when it felt rather heavy just to contain a letter of introduction.

If I had to guess, it had more than five pieces of paper inside of it and the general must have pressed real hard on it for a long while in order to compress it in a single letter.

I only had a few seconds to contemplate the possibility that I may have bitten off more than I can chew before I decided to tuck it into my uniform's pocket carefully. Whatever this letter contained, it was surely not just a piece of paper that states 'Hey, there's this cadet that wants to you to be his mentor, accept him please?'.

Oh well, I've already offered my help so it would be terrible of me to suddenly back out at the very last second.

"By the way, general? What was the name of this pony again?" I inquired, just realizing that he hasn't mentioned the name of the former royal guard that I needed to look after yet.

"His name is Buddy Guard, recipient of the Celestial Cross, Grand Order."


	2. On the Day the Shovel was Named Invincible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tender Heart sets out to finally meet Buddy in hopes of being accepted as his apprentice as requested by General Armstrong. Not long after arriving at Hooverheim, he meets Argonia Free and Haymaker, a unicorn and an earth pony that lives and works with Buddy. They reveal that they are part of the Grand Order, a thriving bodyguard company that Buddy founded. Argonia and Haymaker takes him to the Whinnychester mansion and meets the unicorn in question, who reveals that he was duped by General Armstrong into believing that he suffered horrible career-ending injuries and disabilities. Despite his initial aversion towards taking a student, Buddy relents after discovering that Tender Heart is an orphan and thus decides to take him in as his apprentice.

_Dearest Mother,_

_I got so done with guarding a stupid vase yesterday that I decided to cast a trapping spell around it so that no one can steal it while I took a nap._  
_I woke up to discover the entire Section B trying to steal the vase after being dared to do so by General Armstrong._

_Suffice to say, I stared for like five seconds, got bored, then went back to sleep._  
_The idiots didn’t realize that it was an illusion spell that I cast on the entire room and they’ve been ramming into a pillar for the last three hours while the real vase was on the other side of the room._

_Sincerely, Swansong_

—

50 bits…

I now have… 50 bits in my possession.

This is the largest amount of money that I have ever had in my entire life.

What does anypony need 50 bits for anyway?!

‘This should cover your personal expenses for a month and you’ll receive another 50 at the end of the month. Full discretion is granted to you by the treasury under my name, so if you need to buy a new satchel, uniform, or even a book that you fancy, do not hesitate to use it.’

Fifty. Bits. And I can use it on nearly anything I want.

This must be a fever dream that-

*SLAM!*

Ow…

As if providing immediate proof that this is in fact real, I realized that I had accidentally walked into a tree while walking through the White Tail Woods on my own, causing a bit of a sting to linger on my snout from the mild impact.

Shaking my head, I continued on my way to Hooverheim.

Situated at the end of the White Tail Woods, it acts as a bordertown or stop-over between Vanhoover and Los Pegasus, and serves as the final gateway to the Undiscovered West for explorers or adventurers where they can stock up on supplies or plan their journey one last time.

I walked through the deep green trees, taking in the sight of the area as much as I could.

I have never been through these parts before, and although I could have taken the train from Ponyville to Hooverheim after disembarking from the Canterlot line, I thought that walking towards my destination would give me a better understanding of the place that I’ll have to live in for the next three months.

That’s IF this Buddy Guard accepted me as his apprentice of course.

Should he not? Well, Canterlot’s just two train tickets away and I can get to work in the castle all the while returning the DANGEROUS amount of unspent bits.

There is just no way I can sleep at night while in possession of such a large amount of money. Nopony should ever have this much money on their person at any given time.

I mean really, what am I supposed to do with 50 bits? It’s like I can buy… At LEAST 3 apples.

That’s already more than what I can eat in one sitting too.

In either case, I emerged from the White Tail Woods to see the quaint bordertown of Hooverheim where multiple rows of houses and establishments sit beside a sizable two-story mansion on top of a hill.

Taking out the letter from my pocket again, I checked the address written on the envelope: ‘Whinnychester Mansion, Hooverheim’.

Seeing as that’s practically the only mansion present on the town, I think it’s where I have to go.

Unless of course I took a wrong turn and ended up in a different place…

Putting back the letter back inside my pocket, I continued towards the town, watching as a number of pegasi flew in from above from the direction of Ponyville.

While most of them were civilians, a number of the pegasi wore a version of the Canterlot cadet uniform.

Some of them had the grey and non-decorated version of the uniform which signified that they were first year cadets but others had a lot of badges or pins to signify their achievements during training.

*BUMP!*

“Oof!” I reeled back after hitting something that I was sure that wasn’t a tree or a pole or a wall, my mind entering a panicked state as I came to realize that I had bumped INTO SOMEONE due to my carelessness.

“S-sorry! I-I wasn’t paying attention!” I explained, keeping my head low to prove that I regretted this easily avoidable collision.

The pony that I had bumped into however, whose coat was that of a mossy-greenish color and had thick hooves, didn’t say anything but was facing me nevertheless.

Gulping, I didn’t dare to see the stranger’s face, much less make eye contact with him.

Good job, Tender Heart, you haven’t even started with your apprenticeship and yet you’re already making enemies. Or at least people that’ll hate you. Worse… Enemies that will hate you…

Closing my eyes, I waited for a barrage of harsh words or insults to be thrown my way, expecting a lengthy and angry lecture about how much of a waste my eyes were for not using them as intended.

While it has been quite a while since those words were said to me, replaced with pseudo-mocking ones that the drill sergeants spout during training back in Canterlot, the expectation of being told that I’m practically useless could not be shaken off.

At least in Canterlot, praise was given where it was due whenever I showed improvement in the obstacle course or magic proficiency or even with just remembering the core values of the Royal Guard.

But as the seconds flew by, there was only silence, and maybe a bit of confusion in the air.

Upon opening my eyes, I saw that the earth pony that I bumped into, who I finally discovered to have a brown mane, was staring at me.

His face held no animosity or even any level of annoyance towards me. Though I could discern from his eyes that there was some semblance of worry towards me, his neutral expression made me unsure of my assumption.

The more I looked at him, the more I realized that I can’t read him at all! Whoever this was, he had a really good poker face.

“Haymakeeeeeer!” called out a mare from behind me from afar.

Turning around, I saw a cream-colored unicorn with a purple mane wearing a simple but elegant purple shawl around her shoulders running towards where I and the Earth pony was with a basket full of flowers trailing behind with her magic.

“Did you get what you needed?” asked the colt once she arrived.

“Of course, but what are you doing out here? Did Buddy send you out on patrol?” asked the mare.

I blinked when the name ‘Buddy’ was mentioned. Were they talking about the very same ‘Buddy’ that I needed to talk to?

“No, I came here to wait for you so we can go home together, who knows when I need to leave for the cities again,” he said before moving to take the floating basket in his mouth to carry it himself, prompting the lady to disengage her spell.

“We should really ask Buddy to let us go on a vacation, I don’t think he’d mind,” she said before nuzzling into the underside of the colt’s chin affectionately.

“However, it seems that you’ve been making friends for once,” giggled the mare before turning to me, causing my heart to drop for a split second while the earth pony sighed and rolled his eyes. “What’s your name, young colt?” she inquired.

“O-oh! It’s Tender Heart, ma’am!” I immediately answered, giving a salute to her and the earth pony.

“Argonia would suffice, Argonia Free is my name,” replied the unicorn before turning towards her partner. “And this is Haymaker, he’s an agent of the Grand Order, it’s a bodyguard company here in Hooverheim. May we ask what business you have here in our town?” she asked.

“Oh, well, it’s a bit of a long story…” I said before sharing the reason why I came here, at least the one that General Armstrong wanted me to use as a false story so that the Royal Guard can monitor Buddy’s condition.

When I finished, both Haymaker and Argonia stared at me with a bewildered expression on their faces before looking at each other and then stepping away a little from me so that they can talk to each other in hushed tones after Haymaker set aside the basket of flowers on the ground for a while.

_“Should we tell him?”_

_“We could but maybe he can handle it?”_

_“But he looks like a nice pony, Buddy will obliterate him!”_

Whatever these two were talking about, they weren’t really all that discreet about it…

Just what sort of pony was Buddy in the first place to be able to supposedly ‘obliterate’ me if he was disabled like how the general described him?

After a few more seconds, the two finally ended their conversation and turned back to me after Haymaker picked up the basket once again.

“W-well, since we’re both heading in the same direction, why don’t you come along with us?” Argonia offered with a shaky smile while Haymaker looked at me now with visible worry.

“I think I’d like that…” I said before nodding.

With Haymaker lead the way, I followed him and Argonia through the town proper, and as the two walked side by side, I couldn’t help but look at the earth pony who didn’t scold or get angry at me for bumping into him a while ago.

At first I thought that this was only something that occurred in the guard, a small proof of understanding from the officers towards the cadets because they’ve been through the same path early in their lives and it would be hypocritical of them if they didn’t return the favor when a recruit or cadet makes an honest mistake, allowing the latter to do the same in the future once they’ve become a royal guard as well.

Taking a deep breath and letting myself calm down, I continued walking with Haymaker and Argonia, my surroundings steadily being filled with ponies of various backgrounds interacting with each other or going on about their daily routines.

There was a notable number of travelers that were sufficiently packed for a long trek to the west, carrying provisions, foldable tents, foodstuffs and other supplies loaded on carts and carriages.

A few of these groups were enough to comprise a caravan, and it wasn’t long before the ringleaders began to discuss their routes and/or destinations, offering to merge their numbers to make the journey safer if they traveled together in a combined group.

Not far from these ponies were the various store owners peddling their wares ranging from fruits to medicine to passersby.

One of the stores was a pastry shop and on display was a piping hot pineapple pie that I was horribly tempted to buy just from how deliciously golden the crust looked.

For the price of three bits, I can have that ENTIRE PIE for myself.

Fifty bits…

Surely the general wouldn’t mind if I used three bits? Right?

And he did say that I had full discretion on how I wanted to use it…

But what if he has officers watching me right now?

Blinking at that thought, I turned and looked around to see if there were any strange figures observing my actions, evaluating my character, and preparing a report or letter to the general to say that I’ve been squandering funds from the kingdom for buying a pie.

Nope! Not gunna risk that!

Then I realized that Argonia and Haymaker were staring at me the entire time.

“Hm? Would you like that pie, Tender Heart?” asked Argonia all of a sudden and I realized that she had caught me staring at the freshly baked pie.

“I-I do but, uh, I think I can do without it, the money I have right now is property of the royal guard so-“ my explanation was cut short when the unicorn suddenly headed towards the shop and pulled a few bits out of her shawl to buy a slice.

“Here you go!” smiled Argonia, waiting for me to accept the slice by using my own magic to take it from her levitation spell.

Why was she…?

“But… It’s yours… You bought it so…” I said, unsure on what to do. Was this a test? A way to see if I was low enough to take what wasn’t mine.

“No, silly, I bought it for you! I heard from Buddy before that cadets usually have to abide by unwritten rules and that there are evaluators always watching their moves. It doesn’t count as you using the money from the royal guard if I used my own.” Argonia explained with an understanding smile.

Cautiously, I looked towards Haymaker to see if he had any sign of disapproval for the unicorn’s gesture but again, instead of anything negative or aggressive, the earth pony gave a sincere nod, telling me that it was alright for me to accept the food.

Tilting my head down a little, I reached out for the pie with my own magic, my pinkish aura engulfing it while Argonia released it from her bright purple aura.

“I… Thank you, this really means a lot to me.” I smiled before taking a bite out of the pie after bringing it closer. “Mmmmmm.”

“Don’t thank me yet, you still have Buddy to deal with,” chuckled Argonia before resuming our walk towards the mansion but this time in a slightly slower pace so that I can enjoy the pastry that she had so generously bought for me without any sort of hesitation.

I’ll have to pay her back somehow, I need to…

After a few minutes, we finally arrived at the Whinnychester mansion with Haymaker opening the heavy wooden doors of the entrance for me and Argonia.

Once inside, Argonia led me towards the second floor from the dual staircase in the foyer while Haymaker continued further in the first floor, entering what I believe was the kitchen after catching a glimpse of the door that he opened as I headed up the second level.

The place was filled with numerous antique-looking furniture, some of which… Oh Celestia, not some… MOST OF WHICH ARE COVERED IN DUST AND COBWEBS.

Out of curiosity, I lifted a hoof and traced the handrail of the staircase, my eyes widening in utter shock and disgust when there was a significant amount of DUST on it.

Okay, even if I didn’t manage to get an apprenticeship under this Buddy, I will fight for the right to get rid of all this dirt and put this mansion in a squeaky clean and homey state.

There are just things that I cannot ignore, and one of them was leaving a good, well-furnished estate in a state of neglect.

When we were on the second floor, Argonia took a right and led me to the end of the hallway where a reception area with a coffee table and three sofas, ALL OF THEM NOTICEABLY DUSTY, were located.

Stopping right in front of the door in front of us, the mare turned to me and told me to wait for a moment while she briefed Buddy, prompting me to nod and gulp a little.

After knocking on the door a couple of times, Argonia entered the room once permission was given, closing the door behind her before I could get a glimpse on the appearance of the unicorn that I have to study under as an apprentice, hopefully.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my uniform as much as I could and fixed my mane to look as impressive, or at least as decent, as I can be.

A few seconds later, Argonia opened the door and nodded towards me before gesturing for me to enter.

“Break a leg,” she whispered once I was inside, leaving and closing the door afterwards.

“So, General Armstrong sent you, huh?” asked a deep voice from the other end of the room, and upon turning my head, I could see that it came from a unicorn with a golden brown coat and pearly white mane wearing a pair of purple aviation sunglasses in a dimly lit office sitting behind a table that was similar to the one on General Armstrong’s office.

The only source of light in the room was the warmly lit fireplace to the right…

However, a stark difference between the two was that this one was the fact that there was only two piles of paperwork on Buddy’s table and were neatly organized.

“Yes sir, Cadet Tender Heart, reporting, sir!” I said with a salute before continuing.

“And I have his Letter of Introduction with me,” I added, taking out the letter from my pocket and placing it on the table before stepping back a little so that he can read it, however he can do that with how bad the lighting is? And with him wearing heavily tinted sunglasses? I can never know.

Staring at the envelope, the unicorn didn’t say anything for a moment before reaching over to take it, staring at it again once it was on his hoof before looking at me.

“This is suspiciously heavy for a Letter of Introduction,” he said in genuine confusion.

“I know!” I said loudly in agreement, glad that I wasn’t the only one who thought that it couldn’t possibly only have a mere letter of introduction, wincing when I realized that I broke formalities like that.

Buddy, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind my outburst as he had his gaze back at the letter as if contemplating whether or not should he open it.

After a few seconds, the unicorn finally went ahead and broke the wax seal that held the envelope shut, but instead of taking out the contents, Buddy instead placed it back on the table and pushed it towards me.

“Alright kid, I’m going to trust you,” said Buddy before leaning back against his seat with his eyes trained on me. “I want you to read the Letter of Introduction to me.”

“Excuse me?” I inquired, confused at the request.

Can’t he read it himself? What if I stutter and make a fool of myself?

“Well, you won’t really be any of use to me if a simple task such as reading a letter is something that you can’t do if you want to be my apprentice. If you can’t do that, what more can I expect from you if I give you precise instructions to follow and a person’s life will be on the line if you fail to execute it?” he answered coldly.

Noticing his annoyance, I immediately complied and went for the letter, taking the folded pieces of letter and unfolding them, blinking however when I noticed what the very first page contained.

“The first page…” I began.

“Yes?” asked Buddy in a sort of an expecting tone.

“It’s… There’s just a winking smiley face drawn on it…” I said, showing him the piece of paper containing a badly scribbled ‘>;)’ on it.

Suddenly, Buddy groaned and stood up from his seat before opening the curtains behind him, causing an influx of light to fill the room, forcing me to squint a bit to adjust my eyes from the sudden change in brightness.

“Congratulations, kid, you’ve been **_strong-armed_** by General Armstrong,” grunted the unicorn who proceeded to approach me and gently took the letter with his hoof.

“I… Don’t understand.” I said in confusion, staring as Buddy went to examine the other pages.

“It’s the general’s talent, he has a thing with words to persuade, and sometimes coerce, people into doing what he wants, we’re only lucky that he isn’t using it for selfish or evil purposes. He also tends to exaggerate things and pull on your heartstrings to make you accept requests or tasks immediately,” explained the unicorn.

Well, come to think of it, Buddy doesn’t seem to have any sort of disabilities, and as he walked around the room while reading the rest of the content.

Furthermore, I don’t seem to feel any sort of pain from him either…

Was I really fooled by the general? But for what purpose?

“Look at this,” added Buddy, showing the smiley face again at me. “Look at how menacing and threatening this scribble of a smiley face this is. It just reeks of ‘if you don’t accept this cadet as your apprentice, I will make your entire life miserable, you still owe me one, Buddy.’ I have no doubt that this actually came from that annoying, silver-tongued general.”

Now that he mentioned it, it… Does look, no, it FEELS threatening. Like there’s this impending sense of doom the more you look at this lazily drawn smile as if the general knew deep down that whatever he planned will succeed and so he didn’t have to actually have to put any effort in making it look good.

“Setting this aside for the moment, there’s something that I need to know, Tender Heart,” said Buddy who went back on his seat and placed the letter on his table.

“Why me?” he asked. “I’ve already cut ties with the Royal Guard so my word is worth virtually nothing to the other officers, surely there are those who are more qualified who can take you in.”

Ah, well that’s the catch isn’t it?

“I could but, you’re the only one who the general recommended.” I answered while cursing inwardly.

I don’t like to lie, and even if may have exaggerated the condition of Buddy, I don’t think everything he said was a lie.

As far as I can tell, there was some hatred in how he described his affiliation with the Royal Guard. If he had just merely left the army, Buddy would have just said ‘I’m no longer part of the Royal Guard.’

Instead, he said he cut ties with them as if he wanted nothing to do with them anymore.

So maybe there was some truth to what the general said.

“There are other knights,” he pointed out.

“And there are other candidates. All of which have… A better background than I, sir,” I replied. “If there were someone else that would give me fair consideration, I’m sure that the general would have led me to them. I don’t know why, but General Armstrong chose to send me to you specifically.”

For a moment, Buddy didn’t say anything, choosing to instead stare at me as if carefully assessing whether or not I was lying or twisting the truth, and I can feel the suspicion emanating from him.

“Clarify what you mean by ‘a better background.’” he requested.

“Not everyone wants to take in an orphan, sir,” I sighed. “I don’t have a family to give them favors in return for their teachings. When compared to other cadets, I’m not as bright or strong, but I’ll work hard just like the rest of them, I just need this one chance to prove it.”

The last part was something that I never realized I could say to someone. I was just supposed to use the apprenticeship as an excuse to monitor Buddy’s health and report back to General Armstrong to rebuild his trust in the Royal Guard after all.

But with General Armstrong seemingly having twisted my arm into accepting this task under false pretenses, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I decide to use this as an opportunity to actually land an apprenticeship under Buddy even if he’s… Rather odd with the mood switching.

The other unicorn on the other hand, looked at the scribble that General Armstrong made as a Letter of Introduction before looking back at me and then giving a small breath of submission.

“He really knows how to play his cards…” muttered Buddy before taking the other pieces of paper from the letter and showing them to me, revealing that they were evaluation forms.

“Well, two can play at this game,” he added before opening a drawer and taking out a quill and a bottle of ink and proceeding to fill out the evaluation forms.

**Intellectual Ability** : A+  
**Magical Proficiency** : A+  
**Communication Skills** : A+  
**Honesty** : A+

Wait a minute…

“Uhhh, Sir?!” I asked in a panic, watching as he continued writing A pluses on the other categories in the most casual manner as if he was just filling out a crossword puzzle.

“In a minute, Tender Heart,” said Buddy without looking up from the evaluation forms.

**Potential as a member of the Royal Guard** : Exceptional  
**Potential as part of the Honor Guard of Celestia** : Exceptional

Now, although this means that I am now practically ahead of the other recruits with the grades that Buddy was giving me, if General Armstrong, or heck, if ANY of the other knights or officers decide to test me if I actually had these skills, I’d be humiliated!

A few seconds later, he signed the document and sealed it up in a new envelope with a spell before turning back to me.

“Now as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to worry about your future anymore now that I’m personally vouching for you by grading you upfront,” said Buddy in a casual tone. “Now, the only issue here is, what are you going to do about it? For all I care, you can just take your leave and do whatever you want. Will you take your chances and hope that the Royal Guard won’t find the grades suspicious or will you work hard to prove that you in fact earned it as my student?”

I stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded for the drastic course of action that he took just to get back at General Armstrong. I was about to voice a strongly worded complaint of my own when my mind finally caught up on the totality of what the unicorn said.

“Wait, did you say ‘as your student?’” I inquired, my mind already forgetting about the downsides of what Buddy did.

“Yes,” he stated with a roll of his eyes.

“Then, that means that I’m-“

“You’re officially accepted as my apprentice, yes.”

Silence…

“… Can I hug you?”

“No,” answered Buddy with a deadly glare that caused me to inch back a little.

“Alright, alright! No hugs! Jeeze!” I cringed.

“But since I wasn’t really planning on taking an apprentice in the first place, me teaching you will have to take a bit of time, whatnot when lesson plans, fieldwork, and magical theory is concerned… Not to mention the fact that you’re just a cadet right now so I can’t send you on field missions with the other members of the Grand Order for practical immersion in protecting civilians… During your free time here, would it be acceptable for you if I made you do housework? Maybe clean the place up every now and then and help Argonia-“

Without hesitation, I straightened up and gave Buddy a salute.

“Give me a broom and I will clean EVERY. SINGLE. INCH. OF. THIS. DUSTY. SPIDERWEB-INFESTED MANSION. _**ALL OF IT**_ ,” I declared.

I was given the chance to rid this place of the dirt that had layered itself for only Celestia knows how long and I’ll be damned if I didn’t take advantage of it.

“You sounded more interested in cleaning the mansion than studying…” commented Buddy who had a bit of a disappointed look on his face.

Grimacing, I lowered my salute in shame and tried to apologize “Y-yeah, sorry, it’s just that-”.

“I guess you’re going to **sweep** my expectations.”

…

Wait a minute, was that a pun…?

My mind suddenly drifted back to Haymaker and Argonia walking away for a moment to whisper things to each other…

Oh no…

OH NO-

“Don’t worry, Tender Heart, I’m sure you didn’t mean to give me that impression, why don’t we…” Buddy continued, a sly smirk steadily growing in his face as he stared at me gleefully. “Start over with a….”

—

“ **Clean** slate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware the pun connoisseurs.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading this fic of mine, it's the very first one that I've written for any fandom.
> 
> I'd like to point out that this fic will be a canon-divergent AU where there will be some differences from what has happened in the MLP:FiM universe but will still follow the chronology of the series except for a few.
> 
> These will be revealed as the story progresses and will feature mostly OC characters although there will be a number of canon favorites appearing somewhere along the way.
> 
> In either case, I can't thank you enough for reading this and I hope that you'll enjoy how the story unfolds!


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